Article published in the Daily News (Santa Clarita Today) June 2003
Story by Ryon Harms Staff Writer
Norm Greengard finds it funny when someone calls him an artist.
"I don't view myself in that manner," said Greengard, "I look at it, whether I'm
building something or sculpting a bronze, as I like to create. My mother is an
artist and my grandfather was 'sort of an inventor.'" This led to Greengard's
bronze sculptures as a hybrid of both talents.
Growing up in the Santa Clarita Valley, with film stars such as William S. Hart
and Gene Autry, created a love of the old west for a young Greengard. "Growing
up in the Santa Clarita Valley had many influences on me, but these were only a
portion of the overall picture," recalled Greengard. "Many years ago, when my
family first moved to the SCV, it was quite a different place than it is today.
The 'Valley' was un-congested and consisted of farmland, and mainly open fields.
The history of this area runs deep, from the first gold in California being
discovered in Placerita Canyon, to Beale's Cut and the old Gene Autry's Melody
Ranch."
Santa Clarita was a place where westerns were filmed, yes, even before the malls
and "warehouse stores" invaded. The western culture remained and served to
influence artist like Greengard. "Another influence that impacted me was
spending many summer vacations hiking across the High Sierra or other mountain
ranges," continued Greengard. "I learned to love the peacefulness of the
mountains and appreciate its beauty and splendor. So when you put all of these
together, you'll see why I often reflect back on life and sculpt horses, and
cowboys." Greengard has long had a fixation with "how things were built," that
was derived from his grandfather. "He was always making something and, as a
young boy, I spent many a summer or weekend by his side helping him at his
business, a sign shop. As I grew older, I continued to take things apart, such
as clocks or motors, sometimes I was able to put them back together and they'd
work again!" Shop Class was a personal fascination for Greengard growing up, and
his natural talent led him to succeed even after graduation. "At around 16 years
old I started to work with a carpenter, building everything from patio covers to
office buildings," said Greengard.
The carpentry skills learned during this period would later inspire Greengard to
build his own home. "I wanted to build my own home since I was just a kid. I
suppose that this is another spin-off of my desire to create. Fortunately my
construction background gave me the knowledge and skills necessary to undertake
the project. I built the home in Placertia Canyon where the house is close to
the City, but far enough away to make me feel like I'm in the country," proudly
stated Greengard.
Greengard isn't just an artist, he is also a Captain II on the fire department.
At 19 years old, after taking many difficult tests, he was joined the fire
department and is now on his 25th year of service to his community. "The Fire
Department is almost every little kids dream and mine came true," said
Greengard, "The nature of this job has provided me with the opportunity to make
a difference and I've seen many different interesting aspects of the Fire
Department through a variety of assignments; including everything from fighting
fires to conducing misconduct investigations. For those who have never seen the
Fire Department from an insiders view, it's sometimes hard to explain how we
(firefighters) don't see this as a job and view it more as a lifestyle." To
Greengard, the Fire Department is really an extended family: "our home away from
home."
"Before I began sculpting, I knew I had an artistic creativeness about me. This
creativeness was reflected in everything I built or designed. I've collected
artwork, mostly Western, long before I ever started creating bronzes. Some of my
favorite artists are Charles Russell, Fredrick Remington and the recently
deceased Frank McCarthy," said Greengard. Although he loves painting, he has
always had a particular fondness for Bronzes. After a meeting with Con Williams,
an established bronze sculptor, Greengard learned the basics on how to create
bronzes. "In my opinion, what makes them stand out is their three dimensional
quality and each one is an original piece of art . . an original bronze's value
has the potential of being enormous."
